GPT-4o vs Qwen 3.5 397B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between OpenAI's GPT-4o and Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 397B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Qwen 3.5 397B
4.2x cheaper input, 2.8x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-4o
128K vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | GPT-4o | Qwen 3.5 397B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $2.5 | $0.6 | Qwen 3.5 397B is 76% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $10 | $3.6 | Qwen 3.5 397B is 64% more expensive |
| Context Window | 128K | 128K | Same |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K | |
| Tokenizer | o200k_base | cl100k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | GPT-4o | Qwen 3.5 397B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 17 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 135 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 6.9 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | GPT-4o | Qwen 3.5 397B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0055 | $0.0017 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.0038 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.055 | $0.017 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.038 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.550 | $0.168 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.382 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $5.50 | $1.68 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $3.82 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $55.00 | $16.80 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $38.20 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $5500.00 | $1680.00 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $3820.00 |
Pros & Cons
GPT-4o Strengths
Part of the OpenAI ecosystem
Qwen 3.5 397B Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose GPT-4o for
- →Projects already integrated with OpenAI's ecosystem
Choose Qwen 3.5 397B for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o or Qwen 3.5 397B?
For input tokens, Qwen 3.5 397B is 4.2x cheaper at $0.6/1M tokens. For output tokens, Qwen 3.5 397B is 2.8x cheaper at $3.6/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), GPT-4o costs $5.50 vs Qwen 3.5 397B at $1.68.
What's the context window difference?
GPT-4o supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while Qwen 3.5 397B supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Qwen 3.5 397B can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose GPT-4o over Qwen 3.5 397B?
Choose GPT-4o when you need: a OpenAI ecosystem model. Choose Qwen 3.5 397B when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): GPT-4o = $55.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $16.80. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): GPT-4o = $350.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $96.00.